A state-owned company, South African Forestry Company Limited (Safcol) presented a R1,1 million multi-purpose community hall to Tshitavhadulu during a ceremony last Friday.

Tshitavhadulu is a small rural village in Tshakhuma, which borders the Levubu farms and is on the southern side of the Lutanandwa River.

Mr Bulelani Magwanishe, the Deputy Minister of Public Enterprise, said during the event that the hall will be used for community and developmental meetings, school events and for learning. “We strongly applaud the efforts made by some state-owned companies such as Safcol and Eskom in reducing the unemployment, inequality and poverty hindering rural communities. While Safcol was responsible for the building of the hall, Eskom has connected the electricity free of charge,” said Magwanishe.

He was also excited that, through Safcol, young pupils were being trained to manufacture desks and furniture, while older people were trained in basic education, hoping they will change their lives and their communities for the better.

The chief executive officer of Safcol, Ms Nomkhita Mona, said her company was ready to work with the communities that wanted to work for themselves. “We found out that the Tshitavhadulu communities had an idea of starting a community hall that would help the communities in holding developmental meetings, but they did not have enough money. We understand that the late Chief Wilson Madzivhandila had set aside some of his land,” said Mona.

Mona said her company was doing businesses in Limpopo, Mpumalanga and Kwazulu-Natal and hoped to invest in the communities they were doing business with. She mentioned that 1 000 school desks will be manufactured this year and rural pupils from Limpopo, Mpumalanga and Kwazulu-Natal are set to benefit.